FreeBSD/alpha 4.11-RELEASE Hardware Notes

2.3.1 AXPpci33 (``NoName'')

The NoName is a baby-AT mainboard based on the 21066 LCA (Low Cost Alpha) processor. NoName was originally designed for OEM-use. The LCA chip includes almost all of the logic to drive a PCI bus and the memory subsystem. All of this makes for a low-priced design.

Due to the limited memory interface the system is not particularly fast in case of cache misses. As long as you stay inside the on-chip cache the CPU is comparable to a 21064 (first generation Alpha). These boards should be very cheap to obtain these days. It is a full-fledged 64 bit CPU, just don't expect miracles as far as speed goes.

Features:

• 21066 Alpha CPU at 166 MHz or 21066A CPU at 233MHz. 21068 CPUs are also possible, but are even slower.

• on-board Bcache / L2 cache: 0, 256k or 1 Mbyte (uses DIL chips)

• PS/2 mouse & keyboard port OR 5pin DIN keyboard (2 mainboard models)

• memory:

  • bus width: 64 bits

  • PS/2 style 72 pin 36 bit Fast Page Mode SIMMs

  • 70ns or better

  • installed in pairs of 2

  • 4 SIMM sockets

  • uses ECC

• 512kB Flash ROM for the console code.

• 2 16550A serial ports

• 1 parallel port

• floppy interface

• 1 embedded IDE interface

• expansion:

  • 3 32 bit PCI slots (1 shared with ISA)

  • 5 ISA slots (1 shared with PCI)

• embedded Fast SCSI using a Symbios 53C810 chip

NoNames can either have SRM or ARC console firmware in their Flash ROM. The Flash ROM is not big enough to hold both ARC and SRM at the same time and allow software selection of alternate console code. But you only need SRM anyway.

Cache for the NoNames are 15 or 20 ns DIL chips. For a 256 kByte cache you want to check your junked 486 mainboard. Chips for a 1 Mbyte cache are a rarer breed unfortunately. Getting at least a 256kByte cache is recommended performance wise. Cache-less they are really slow.

The NoName mainboard has a PC/AT-standard power connector. It also has a power connector for 3.3 Volts. No need to rush out to get a new power supply. The 3.3 Volts is only needed in case you run 3.3 Volts PCI expansion boards. These are quite rare.

The IDE interface is supported by FreeBSD and requires a line in the kernel configuration file as follows:

device ata0 at isa? port IO_WD1 irq 14

The SRM console unfortunately cannot boot from IDE disks. This means you will have to use a SCSI disk as the boot device.

The NoName is somewhat stubborn when it comes to serial consoles. It needs

>>> SET CONSOLE SERIAL

before it goes for a serial console. Pulling the keyboard from the machine is not sufficient, like it is on most other Alpha models. Going back to a graphical console needs

>>> SET CONSOLE GRAPHICS

at the serial console.

There have been reports that you sometimes need to press Control-Alt-Del to capture the SRM's attention. I have never seen this myself, but it is worth trying if you are greeted by a blank screen after powerup.

Make sure you use true 36 bit SIMMs, and only FPM (Fast Page Mode) DRAM. EDO DRAM or SIMMs with fake parity will not work. The board uses the 4 extra bits for ECC. 33 bit FPM SIMMs will for the same reason not work.

Given the choice, get the PS/2-variant mainboard. Apart from giving you a mouse port as bonus it is directly supported by Tru64 Unix in case you ever want or need to run it. The ``DIN-plug''-variant should work OK for FreeBSD.

The OEM manual is recommended reading.

The kernel configuration file for a NoName kernel must contain:

options    DEC_AXPPCI_33
cpu EV4

2.3.2 Universal Desktop Box (UDB or ``Multia'')

Multia is a small desktop box intended as a sort of personal workstation. They come in a considerable number of variations, check closely what you get.

Features:

• 21066 Alpha CPU at 166 MHz or 21066A CPU at 233MHz

• on-board Bcache / L2 cache: COAST-like 256 kByte cache module; 233MHz models have 512kByte of cache; 166MHz models have soldered-on 256kB caches

• PS/2 mouse & keyboard port

• memory:

  • bus width: 64 bits

  • PS/2 style 72 pin 36 bit Fast Page Mode SIMMs

  • 70ns or better

  • SIMMs are installed in pairs of 2

  • 4 SIMM sockets

  • uses ECC

• 2 16550A serial ports

• 1 parallel port

• floppy interface

• Intel 82378ZB PCI to ISA bridge

• 1 embedded 21040 based 10Mbit Ethernet, AUI and 10base2 connector

• expansion:

  • 1 32 bit PCI slot

  • 2 PCMCIA slots

• on-board Crystal CS4231 or AD1848 sound chip

• embedded Fast SCSI, using a Symbios 53C810[A] chip on the PCI riser card

Multia has enough Flash ROM to store both SRM and ARC code at the same time and allow software selection of one of them.

The embeded TGA video adapter is not currently usable as a FreeBSD console. You will need to use a serial console.

Multia has only one 32 bit PCI slot for expansion, and it is only suitable for a small form factor PCI card. By sacrificing the PCI slot space you can mount a 3.5" hard disk drive. Mounting stuff may have come with your Multia. Adding a 3.5" disk is not a recommended upgrade due to the limited power rating of the power supply and the extremely marginal cooling of the system box.

Multia also has 2 PCMCIA expansion slots. These are currently not supported by FreeBSD.

The CPU might or might not be socketed, check this before considering CPU upgrade hacks. The low-end Multias have a soldered-in CPU.

Multia has 2 serial ports but routes both of them to the outside world on a single 25 pin sub-D connector. The Multia FAQ explains how to build your own Y-cable to allow both ports to be used.

Although the Multia SRM supports booting from floppy this can be problematic. Typically the errors look like:

*** Soft Error - Error #10 - FDC: Data overrun or underrun

This is not a FreeBSD problem, it is a SRM problem. The best available workaround to install FreeBSD is to boot from a SCSI CDROM.

There have been reports that you sometimes need to press Control-Alt-Del to capture the SRM's attention. I have never seen this myself, but it is worth trying when you are greeted by a blank screen after powerup.

Sound works fine using pcm(4) driver and a line in the kernel configuration file as follows for the Crystal CS4231 chip:

device pcm0 at isa? port 0x530  irq 9 drq 3 flags 0x15

I have not yet been successful in getting my Multia with the AD1848 to play any sound.

While verifying playback I was reminded of the lack of CPU power of the 166MHz CPU. MP3 only plays acceptable using 22kHz down-sampling.

Multias are somewhat notorious for dying of heat strokes. The very compact box does not really allow access to cooling air. Please use the Multia on its vertical stand, don't put it horizontally (``pizza style''). Replacing the fan with something which pushes around more air is really recommended. You can also cut one of the wires to the fan speed sensor. Once cut, the fan runs at a (loud) full speed. Beware of PCI cards with high power consumption. If your system has died you might want to check the Multia-Heat-Death pages at the NetBSD Web site for help in reviving it.

The Intel 82378ZB PCI to ISA bridge enables the use of an IDE disk. This requires a line in the kernel configuration file as follows:

device ata0 at isa? port IO_WD1 irq 14

The IDE connector pin spacing is thought for 2.5" laptop disks. A 3.5" IDE disk would not fit in the case anyway. At least not without sacrificing your only PCI slot. The SRM console unfortunately does not know how to boot from IDE disks. You will need to use a SCSI disk as the boot disk.

In case you want to change the internal hard drive: the internal flat cable running from the PCI riser board to the 2.5" hard drive has a finer pitch than the standard SCSI flat cables. Otherwise it would not fit on the 2.5" drives. There are also riser cards that have a standard-pitch SCSI cable attached to it, which will fit an ordinary SCSI disk.

Again, I recommend against trying to cram a replacement hard disk inside. Use the external SCSI connector and put your disk in an external enclosure. Multias run hot enough as-is. In most cases you will have the external high density 50-pin SCSI connector but some Multia models came without disk and may lack the connector. Something to check before buying one.

The kernel configuration file for a Multia kernel must contain:

options    DEC_AXPPCI_33
cpu EV4

Recommended reading on Multia can be found at http://www.netbsd.org/Ports/alpha/multiafaq.html or http://www.brouhaha.com/~eric/computers/udb.html.

2.3.3 Personal Workstation (``Miata'')

The Miata is a small tower machine intended to be put under a desk. There are multiple Miata variants. The original Miata is the MX5 model. Because it suffers from a number of hardware design flaws a redesign was done, yielding the MiataGL. Unfortunately the variants are not easily distinguishable at first sight from the outside of the case. An easy check is to see if the back of the machine sports two USB connectors. If yes, it is a MiataGL. MX5 models tend to be more common in the used system market place.

System designations look like ``Personal Workstation 433a''. Personal Workstation, being a bit of a mouthful, is often abbreviated to PWS. This means it has a 433 MHz CPU, and started life as a WinNT workstation (the trailing ``a''). Systems designated from day 1 to run Tru64 Unix or OpenVMS will sport ``433au''. WinNT-Miatas are likely to come pre-configured with an IDE CDROM drive. So, in general systems are named like PWS[433,500,600]a[u].

There was also a Miata model with a special CPU cooling system by Kryotech. The Kryotech has a special cooling system and is housed in a different enclosure.

Features:

• 21164A EV56 Alpha CPU at 433, 500 or 600MHz

• 21174 core logic (``Pyxis'') chip

• on-board Bcache / L3 cache: 0, 2 or 4 Mbytes (uses a cache module)

• memory:

  • bus width: 128 bits wide, ECC protected

  • unbuffered 72 bit wide SDRAMs DIMMs, installed in pairs of 2

  • 6 DIMM sockets

  • maximum memory 1.5 GBytes

• on-board Fast Ethernet:

  • MX5 uses a 21142 or 21143 Ethernet chip, dependent on the version of the PCI riser card

  • MiataGL has a 21143 chip

  • the bulkhead can be 10/100 Mbit UTP, or 10 Mbit UTP/BNC

• 2 on-board [E]IDE disk interfaces, based on the CMD646 (MX5) or the Cypress 82C693 (MiataGL)

• 1 Ultra-Wide SCSI Qlogic 1040 [MiataGL only]

• 2 64-bit PCI slots

• 3 32-bit PCI slots (behind a DEC PCI-PCI bridge chip)

• 3 ISA slots (physically shared with the 32 bit PCI slots, via an Intel 82378IB PCI to ISA bridge chip)

• 2 16550A serial port

• 1 parallel port

• PS/2 keyboard & mouse port

• USB interface [MiataGL only]

• embedded sound based on an ESS1888 chip

The Miata logic is divided into two printed circuit boards. The lower board in the bottom of the machine has the PCI and ISA slots and things like the sound chip etc. The top board has the CPU, the Pyxis chip, memory etc. Note that MX5 and the MiataGL use a different PCI riser board. This means that you cannot just upgrade to a MiataGL CPU board (with the newer Pyxis chip) but that you will also need a different riser board. Apparently an MX5 riser with a MiataGL CPU board will work but it is definitely not a supported or tested configuration. Everything else (cabinet, wiring, etc.) is identical for MX5 and MiataGL.

MX5 has problems with DMA via the 2 64-bit PCI slots when this DMA crosses a page boundary. The 32 bit slots don't have this problem because the PCI-PCI bridge chip does not allow the offending transfers. The SRM code knows about the problem and refuses to start the system if there is a PCI card in one of the 64bit slots that it does not know about. Cards that are ``known good'' to the SRM are allowed to be used in the 64bit slots.

If you want to fool the SRM you can type set pci_device_override at the SRM prompt. Just don't complain if your data mysteriously gets mangled.

The complete command is:

>>> SET PCI_DEVICE_OVERRIDE <vendor_id><device_id>

For example:

>>> SET PCI_DEVICE_OVERRIDE 88c15333

The most radical approach is to use:

>>> SET PCI_DEVICE_OVERRIDE -1

This disables PCI ID checking altogether, so that you can install any PCI card without its ID getting checked. For this to work you need a reasonable current SRM version.

The FreeBSD kernel reports it when it sees a buggy Pyxis chip:

Sep 16 18:39:43 miata /kernel: cia0: Pyxis, pass 1
Sep 16 18:39:43 miata /kernel: cia0: extended capabilities: 1<BWEN>
Sep 16 18:39:43 miata /kernel: cia0: WARNING: Pyxis pass 1 DMA bug; no bets...

A MiataGL probes as:

Jan  3 12:22:32 miata /kernel: cia0: Pyxis, pass 1
Jan  3 12:22:32 miata /kernel: cia0: extended capabilities: 1<BWEN>
Jan  3 12:22:32 miata /kernel: pcib0: <2117x PCI host bus adapter> on cia0

MiataGL does not have the DMA problems of the MX5. PCI cards that make the MX5 SRM choke when installed in the 64bit slots are accepted without problems by the MiataGL SRM.

The latest mainboard revisions of MX5 contain a hardware workaround for the bug. The SRM does not know about the ECO and will complain about unknown cards as before. So does the FreeBSD kernel by the way.

The Miata SRM can boot from IDE CDROM drives. IDE hard disk boot is known to work for both MiataGL and MX5 disks, so you can root FreeBSD from an IDE disk. Speeds on MX5 are around 14 Mbytes/sec assuming a suitable drive. Miata's CMD646 chip will support up to WDMA2 mode as the chip is too buggy for use with UDMA.

Miata MX5s generally use Qlogic 1040 based SCSI adapters. These are bootable by the SRM console. Note that Adaptec cards are not bootable by the Miata SRM console.

The MiataGL has a faster PCI-PCI bridge chip on the PCI riser card than some of the MX5 riser card versions. Some of the MX5 risers have the same chip as the MiataGL. All in all there is a lot of variation.

Not all VGA cards will work behind the PCI-PCI bridge. This manifests itself as no video at all. Workaround is to put the VGA card ``before'' the bridge, in one of the 64 bit PCI slots. Graphics performance using a 64 bit slot is generally substantially better.

Both MX5 and MiataGL have an on-board sound chip, an ESS1888. It emulates a SoundBlaster and can be enabled by putting

device pcm0
device  sbc0

in your kernel configuration file:

in case your Miata has the optional cache board installed make sure it is firmly seated. A slightly loose cache has been observed to cause weird crashes (not surprising obviously, but maybe not so obvious when troubleshooting). The cache module is identical between MX5 and MiataGL.

Installing a 2Mb cache module achieves, apart from a 10-15% speed increase (based on buildworld elapsed time), a decrease for PCI DMA read bandwidth from 64bit PCI cards. A benchmark on a 64-bit Myrinet card resulted in a decrease from 149 Mbytes/sec to 115 Mbytes/sec. Something to keep in mind when doing really high speed things with 64 bit PCI adapters.

Although the hardware allows you to install up to 1.5Gbyte of memory, FreeBSD is limited to 1Gbyte because the DMA code does not correctly handle memory above 1Gbyte.

Moving to a faster CPU is quite simple, swap out the CPU chip and set the clock multiplier dipswitch to the speed of the new CPU.

If you experience SRM errors like

ERROR: scancode 0xa3 not supported on PCXAL

after halting FreeBSD you should update your SRM firmware to V7.2-1 or later. This SRM version is first available on the Firmware Update CD V5.7, or on http://www.compaq.com/ This SRM problem is fixed on both Miata MX5 and Miata GL.

USB is supported by FreeBSD 4.1 and later.

Disconnect the power cord before dismantling the machine, the soft-power switch keeps part of the logic powered even when the machine is switched off.

The kernel configuration file for a Miata kernel must contain:

options    DEC_ST550
cpu EV5

2.3.4 DEC3000 family (the ``Bird'' machines)

The DEC3000 series were among the first Alpha machines ever produced. They are based on an I/O bus called the TurboChannel (TC) bus. These machines are built like tanks (watch your back).

DEC3000 can be subdivided in DEC3000/500-class and DEC3000/300-class. The DEC3000/500-class is the early high-end workstation/server Alpha family. Servers use serial consoles, workstations have graphics tubes. DEC3000/300-class is the lower-cost workstation class.

DEC3000/500-class are quite fast (considering their age) thanks to the good memory design. DEC3000/300 is crippled compared to DEC3000/500 because of its much narrower memory bus.

They are called ``Birds'' because their internal DEC code names were bird names:

Features:

• 21064 CPU (100 to 200 MHz) or 21064A CPU (225 to 275 MHz)

• memory DEC3000/500 class:

  • bus width: 256 bit, with ECC

  • proprietary 100pin SIMMs

  • installed in sets of 8

• memory DEC3000/300 class:

  • bus width: 64 bit, with ECC

  • PS/2 style 72pin 36 bit FPM SIMMs 70ns or better

  • used in pairs of 2

• Bcache / L2 cache: varying sizes, 512 kB to 2 Mbyte

• built-in 10Mbit Ethernet based on a Lance 7990 chip, AUI and UTP

• one or two SCSI buses based on a NCR53C94 or a NCR53CF94-2 chip

• 2 serial ports based on Zilog 8530 (one usable as a serial console)

• embedded ISDN interface

• on-board 8 bit sound

• 8 bit graphics on-board or via a TC card (depending on model)

Currently DEC3000 machines can only be used diskless on FreeBSD. The reason for this is that the SCSI drivers needed for the TC SCSI adapters were not brought into CAM that the recent FreeBSD versions use. TC option cards for single (PMAZ-A) or dual fast SCSI (PMAZC-AA) are also available. These cards currently have no drivers on FreeBSD either.

DEC3000/300 has 5 MBytes/sec SCSI on-board. This bus is used for both internal and external devices. DEC3000/500 has 2 SCSI buses. One is for internal devices only, the other one is for external devices only.

Floppy devices found in the DEC3000s are attached to the SCSI bus (via a bridge card). This makes it possible to boot from them using the same device names as ordinary SCSI hard-disks, for example:

>>> BOOT DKA300

The 3000/300 series has a half-speed TurboChannel compared to the other 3000 machines. Some TC expansion cards have troubles with the half-speed bus. Caveat emptor.

The embedded ISDN interface is not supported on FreeBSD.

DEC3000/300-class uses standard 36 bit, 72 pin Fast Page Mode SIMMs. EDO SIMMs, 32 or 33 bit SIMMs all will not work in Pelicans. For 32Mbyte SIMMs to work on the DEC3000/300-class the presence detect bits/pins of the SIMM must correspond to what the machine expects. If they don't, the SIMM is ``seen'' as a 8 Mbyte SIMM. 8 Mbyte and 32 Mbyte SIMMs can be mixed, as long as the pairs themselves are identical.

When you find yourself in need of fixing 32Mbyte SIMMs that lack correct presence bits the following info might be of use:

There are four presence detection bits on PS/2 SIMMs. Two of the bits indicate the access time. The other two indicate the memory size.

At one end of the SIMM there are two rows of four solder pads. One row is connected to Vss (GND) and the other is connected to pins 67 (PRD1), 68 (PRD2), 69 (PRD3), 70 (PRD4).

If you bridge a pair of pads with a small resistor or a drop of solder you ground that particular bit.

DEC3000/500-class can use 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 Mbyte 100pin SIMMs. Note that the maximum memory size varies from system to system, desktop machines have sacrificed box size for less memory SIMM sockets. Given enough sockets and enough SIMMs you can get to 512 Mbytes maximum. This is one of the main differences between floor standing and desktop machines, the latter have far less SIMM sockets.

The sound hardware is not supported on any of the Birds.

There is no X-Windows version available for the TC machines. DEC3000/300 needs a serial console. DEC3000/500-class might work with a graphical console. I ran mine with a serial console so I cannot verify this.

Birds can be obtained from surplus sales etc. As they are not PCI based they are no longer actively maintained. TC expansion boards can be difficult to obtain these days and support for them is not too good unless you write/debug the code yourself. Programming information for TC boards is hard to find. Birds are recommended only if a. you can get them cheap and b. if you prepared to work on the code to support them better.

For the DEC3000/[4-9]00 series machines the kernel config file must contain:

options    DEC_3000_500
cpu EV4

For the DEC3000/300 (``Pelican'') machines the kernel config file must contain:

options    DEC_3000_300
cpu EV4

2.3.5 Evaluation Board 64 family

In its attempts to popularize the Alpha CPU DEC produced a number of so called Evaluation Boards. Members of this family are EB64, EB64+, AlphaPC64 (codename ``Cabriolet''). A non-DEC member of this family is the Aspen Alpine. The EB64 family of evaluation boards has the following feature set:

• 21064 or 21064A CPU, 150 to 275 MHz

• memory:

  • memory buswidth: 128 bit

  • PS/2 style 72 pin 33 bit Fast Page Mode SIMMs

  • 70ns or better

  • installed in sets of 4

  • 8 SIMM sockets

  • uses parity memory

• Bcache / L2 cache: 0, 512 kByte, 1 Mbyte or 2 Mbytes

• 21072 (``APECS'') chip set

• Intel 82378ZB PCI to ISA bridge chip (``Saturn'')

• dual 16550A serial ports

• parallel printer port

• Symbios 53C810 Fast-SCSI (not on AlphaPC64)

• IDE interface (only on AlphaPC64)

• embedded 10 Mbit Ethernet (not on AlphaPC64)

• 2 PCI slots (4 slots on AlphaPC64)

• 3 ISA slots

Aspen Alpine is slightly different, but is close enough to the EB64+ to run an EB64+ SRM EPROM (mine did..). The Aspen Alpine does not have an embedded Ethernet, has 3 instead of 2 PCI slots. It comes with 2 Mbytes of cache already soldered onto the mainboard. It has jumpers to select the use of 60, 70 or 80ns SIMM speeds.

36 bits SIMMs work fine, 3 bits simply remain unused. Note the systems use Fast Page Mode memory, not EDO memory.

The EB64+ SRM console code is housed in an UV-erasable EPROM. No easy flash SRM upgrades for the EB64+ The latest SRM version available for EB64+ is quite ancient anyway.

The EB64+ SRM can boot both 53C810 and Qlogic1040 SCSI adapters. Pitfall for the Qlogic is that the firmware that is down-loaded by the SRM onto the Qlogic chip is very old. There are no updates for the EB64+ SRM available. So you are stuck with old Qlogic bits too. I have had quite some problems when I wanted to use Ultra-SCSI drives on the Alpine with Qlogic. The FreeBSD kernel can be compiled to include a much newer Qlogic firmware revision. This is not the default because it adds hundreds of kBytes worth of bloat to the kernel. In FreeBSD 4.1 and later the isp firmware is contained in a kernel loadable module. All of this might mean that you need to use a non-Qlogic adapter to boot from.

AlphaPC64 boards generally come with ARC console firmware. SRM console code can be loaded from floppy into the Flash ROM.

The IDE interface of the AlphaPC64 is not bootable from the SRM console. Enabling it requires the following line in the kernel configuration file:

device ata0 at isa? port IO_WD1 irq 14

Note that the boards require a power supply that supplies 3.3 Volts for the CPU.

For the EB64 family machines the kernel config file must contain:

options    DEC_EB64PLUS
cpu EV4

2.3.6 Evaluation Board 164 (``EB164, PC164, PC164LX, PC164SX'') family

EB164 is a newer design evaluation board, based on the 21164A CPU. This design has been used to ``spin off'' multiple variations, some of which are used by OEM manufacturers/assembly shops. Samsung did its own PC164LX which has only 32 bit PCI, whereas the Digital variant has 64 bit PCI.

• 21164A, multiple speed variants [EB164, PC164, PC164LX]

• 21164PC [only on PC164SX]

• 21171 (Alcor) chip set [EB164]

  21172 (Alcor2) chip set [PC164]

  21174 (Pyxis) chip [164LX, 164SX]

• Bcache / L3 cache: EB164 uses special cache-SIMMs

• memory bus: 128 bit / 256 bit

• memory:

  • PS/2 style SIMMs in sets of 4 or 8

  • 36 bit, Fast Page Mode, uses ECC, [EB164 / PC164]

  • SDRAM DIMMs in sets of 2, non-ECC or ECC can be used [PC164SX]

  • SDRAM DIMMs in sets of 2, uses ECC [PC164LX]

• 2 16550A serial ports

• PS/2 style keyboard & mouse

• floppy controller

• parallel port

• 32 bits PCI

• 64 bits PCI [some models]

• ISA slots via an Intel 82378ZB PCI to ISA bridge chip

Using 8 SIMMs for a 256bit wide memory can yield interesting speedups over a 4 SIMM/128bit wide memory. Obviously all 8 SIMMs must be of the same type to make this work. The system must be explicitly setup to use the 8 SIMM memory arrangement. You must have 8 SIMMs, 4 SIMMs distributed over 2 banks will not work. For the AlphaPC164 you can have a maximum of 1Gbyte of RAM, using 8 128Mbyte SIMMs. The manual indicates the maximum is 512 Mbyte.

The SRM can boot from Qlogic 10xx boards or the Symbios 53C810[A]. Newer Symbios 810 revisions like the Symbios 810AE are not recognized by the SRM on PC164. PC164 SRM does not appear to recognize a Symbios 53C895 based host adapter (tested with a Tekram DC-390U2W). On the other hand some no-name Symbios 53C985 board has been reported to work. Cards like the Tekram DC-390F (Symbios875 based) have been confirmed to work fine on the PC164. Unfortunately this seems to be dependent on the actual version of the chip/board.

Symbios 53C825[a] will also work as boot adapter. Diamond FirePort, although based on Symbios chips, is not bootable by the PC164SX SRM. PC164SX is reported to boot fine with Symbios825, Symbios875, Symbios895 and Symbios876 based cards. In addition, Adaptec 2940U and 2940UW are reported to work for booting (verified on SRM V5.7-1). Adaptec 2930U2 and 2940U2[W] do not work.

164LX and 164SX with SRM firmware version 5.8 or later can boot from Adaptec 2940-series adapters. A test with an Adaptec 3940UW showed that that one is not supported however. 164SX SRM recognises Intel 8255x Ethernet cards which show up as eia. Using such a NIC allows network booting.

In summary: this family of machines is ``blessed'' with a challenging compatibility as far as SCSI adapters go.

On 164SX you can have a maximum of 1 Gbyte of RAM. 4 regular (PC100 or PC133) 256MB DIMMs are reported to work just fine. Whether 512MB DIMMs will also work is currently unknown. You can use ECC or non-ECC DIMMs. The non-ECC ones are the same as commonly found in PCs. Unfortunately the 164SX is quite picky on which DIMMs it likes, so be prepared to test and experiment.

PCI bridge chips are sometimes not appreciated by the 164SX, they cause SRM errors and kernel panics in those cases. This seems to depend on the fact if the card is recognised, and therefore correctly initialised, by the SRM console. The 164SX' onboard IDE interface is quite slow, a Promise card gives a 3-4 times speed improvement.

On PC164 the SRM sometimes seems to loose its variable settings. ``For PC164, current superstition says that, to avoid losing settings, you want to first downgrade to SRM 4.x and then upgrade to 5.x.'' One sample error that was observed was:

ERROR: ISA table corrupt!

A sequence of a downgrade to SRM4.9, an

>>> ISACFG -INIT

followed by

>>> INIT

made the problem go away. Some PC164 owners report they have never seen the problem.

On PC164SX the AlphaBIOS allows you a selection to select SRM to be used as console on the next power up. This selection does not appear to have any effect. In other words, you will get the AlphaBIOS regardless of what you select. The fix is to reflash the console ROM with the SRM code for PC164SX. This will overwrite the AlphaBIOS and will get you the SRM console you desire. The SRM code can be found on the Compaq Web site.

164LX can either have the SRM console code or the AlphaBIOS code in its flash ROM because the flash ROM is too small to hold both at the same time.

PC164 can boot from IDE disks assuming your SRM version is recent enough.

EB164 needs a power supply that supplies 3.3 Volts. PC164 does not implement the PS_ON signal that ATX power supplies need to switch on. A simple switch pulling this signal to ground allows you to run a standard ATX power supply.

For the EB164 class machines the kernel config file must contain:

options         DEC_EB164
cpu             EV5

2.3.7 AlphaStation 200 (``Mustang'') and 400 (``Avanti'') series

The Digital AlphaStation 200 and 400 series systems are early low end PCI based workstations. The 200 and 250 series are desktop boxes, the 400 series is a desk-side mini-tower.

Features:

• 21064 or 21064A CPU at speeds of 166 up to 333 MHz

• DECchip 21071-AA core logic chip set

• Bcache / L2 cache: 512 Kbytes (200 and 400 series) or 2048KBytes (250 series)

• memory:

  • 64 bit bus width

  • 8 to 384 MBytes of RAM

  • 70 ns or better Fast Page DRAM

  • in three pairs (200 and 400 series)

  • in two quads, so banks of four. (250 series)

  • the memory subsystem uses parity

• PS/2 keyboard and mouse port

• two 16550 serial ports

• parallel port

• floppy disk interface

• 32 bit PCI expansion slots (3 for the AS400-series, 2 for the AS200 & 250-series)

• ISA expansion slots (4 for the AS400-series, 2 for the AS200 & 250-series) (some ISA/PCI slots are physically shared)

• embedded 21040-based Ethernet (200 & 250 series)

• embedded Symbios 53c810 Fast SCSI-2 chip

• Intel 82378IB (``Saturn'') PCI-ISA bridge chip

• graphics is embedded TGA or PCI VGA (model dependent)

• 16 bit sound (on 200 & 250 series)

The systems use parity memory SIMMs, but these do not need 36 bit wide SIMMs. 33 bit wide SIMMs are sufficient, 36 bit SIMMs are acceptable too. EDO or 32 bit SIMMs will not work. 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 Mbyte SIMMs are supported.

The AS200 & AS250 sound hardware is reported to work OK assuming you have the following line in your kernel config file:

device pcm0 at isa? port 0x530 irq 10 drq 0 flags 0x10011

AlphaStation 200 & 250 series have an automatic SCSI terminator. This means that as soon as you plug a cable onto the external SCSI connector the internal terminator of the system is disabled. It also means that you should not leave unterminated cables plugged into the machine.

AlphaStation 400 series have an SRM variable that controls termination. In case you have external SCSI devices connected you must set this SRM variable using

>>> SET CONTROL_SCSI_TERM EXTERNAL.

If only internal SCSI devices are present use:

>>> SET CONTROL_SCSI_TERM INTERNAL

For the AlphaStation-[24][05]00 machines the kernel config file must contain:

options    DEC_2100_A50
cpu EV4

2.3.8 AlphaStation 500 and 600 (``Alcor'' & ``Maverick'' for EV5, ``Bret'' for EV56)

AS500 and 600 were the high-end EV5 / PCI based workstations. EV6 based machines have in the meantime taken their place as front runners. AS500 is a desktop in a dark blue case (TopGun blue), AS600 is a sturdy desk-side box. AS600 has a nice LCD panel to observe the early stages of SRM startup.

Features:

• 21164 EV5 CPU at 266, 300, 333, 366, 400, 433, 466, or 500 MHz (AS500) or at 266, 300 or 333 MHz (AS600)

• 21171 (Alcor) or 21172 (Alcor2) core logic chip set

• Cache:

  • 2 or 4 Mb L3 / Bcache (AS600 at 266 MHz)

  • 4 Mb L3 / Bcache (AS600 at 300 MHz)

  • 2 or 8 Mb L3 / Bcache (8 Mb on 500 MHz version only)

  • 2 to 16 Mb L3 / Bcache (AS600; 3 cache-SIMM slots)

• memory buswidth: 256 bits

• AS500 memory:

  • industry standard 72 bit wide buffered Fast Page Mode DIMMs

  • 8 DIMM slots

  • installed in sets of 4

  • maximum memory is 1 GB (512 Mb max on 333 MHz CPUs)

  • uses ECC

• AS600 memory:

  • industry standard 36 bit Fast Page Mode SIMMs

  • 32 SIMM slots

  • installed in sets of 8

  • maximum memory is 1 GB

  • uses ECC

• Qlogic 1020 based wide SCSI bus (1 bus/chip for AS500, 2 buses/chip for AS600)

• 21040 based 10 Mbit Ethernet adapter, both Thinwire and UTP connectors

• expansion:

  • AS500:

    • 3 32-bit PCI slots

    • 1 64-bit PCI slot

  • AS600:

    • 2 32-bit PCI slot

    • 3 64-bit PCI slots

    • 1 PCI/EISA physically shared slot

    • 3 EISA slots

    • 1 PCI and 1 EISA slot are occupied by default

• 21050 PCI-to-PCI bridge chip

• Intel 82375EB PCI-EISA bridge (AS600 only)

• 2 16550A serial ports

• 1 parallel port

• 16 bit audio Windows Sound System, in a dedicated slot (AS500) in EISA slot (AS600, this is an ISA card)

• PS/2 keyboard and mouse port

Early machines had Fast SCSI interfaces, later ones are Ultra SCSI capable. AS500 shares its single SCSI bus with internal and external devices. For a Fast SCSI bus you are limited to 1.8 meters bus length external to the box. The AS500 Qlogic ISP1020A chip can be set to run in Ultra mode by setting a SRM variable. FreeBSD however follows the Qlogic chip errata and limits the bus speed to Fast.

Beware of ancient SRM versions on AS500. When you see weird SCSI speeds being reported by FreeBSD like

cd0 at isp0 bus 0 target 4 lun 0
cd0: <DEC RRD45   DEC 0436> Removable CD-ROM SCSI-2 device
cd0: 250.000MB/s transfers (250.000MHz, offset 12)

it is time to do a SRM console firmware upgrade.

AS600 has one Qlogic SCSI chip dedicated to the internal devices whereas the other Qlogic SCSI chip is dedicated to external SCSI devices. Keep the card, which apart from the two SCSI interfaces also houses the Ethernet chip by the way, in the DEC-recommended, topmost, 32bit PCI slot. You get machine checks if you plug it into one of the 64 bit slots.

In AS500 DIMMs are installed in sets of 4, in ``physically interleaved'' layout. So, a bank of 4 DIMMs is not 4 physically adjacent DIMMs. Note that the DIMMs are not SDRAM DIMMs.

In AS600 the memory SIMMs are placed onto two memory daughter cards. SIMMs are installed in sets of 8. Both memory daughter cards must be populated identically.

Note that both AS500 and AS600 are EISA machines. This means you have to run the EISA Configuration Utility (ECU) from floppy after adding EISA cards or to change things like the configuration settings of the onboard I/O. For AS500 which does not have a physical EISA slot the ECU is used to configure the onboard sound interface etc.

AS500 onboard sound can be used by adding a line like

device pcm0 at isa? port? irq 10 drq 0 flags 0x10011

to the kernel configuration file.

Using the ECU I configured my AS500 to use IRQ 10, port 0x530, and drq 0. Note the uncommon flags in the kernel configuration.

AS600 has a peculiarity for its PCI slots. AS600 (or rather the PCI expansion card containing the SCSI adapters) does not allow I/O port mapping, therefore all devices behind it must use memory mapping. If you have problems getting the Qlogic SCSI adapters to work, add the following option to /boot/loader.rc:

set isp_mem_map=0xff

This may need to be typed at the boot loader prompt before booting the installation kernel.

For the AlphaStation-[56]00 machines the kernel config file must contain:

options    DEC_KN20AA
cpu EV5

2.3.9 AlphaServer 1000 (``Mikasa''), 1000A (``Noritake'') and 800(``Corelle'')

The AlphaServer 1000 and 800 range of machines are intended as departmental servers. They come in quite some variations in packaging and mainboard/cpu. Generally speaking there are 21064 (EV4) CPU based machines and 21164 (EV5) based ones. The CPU is on a daughter card, and the type of CPU (EV4 or EV5) must match the mainboard in use.

AlphaServer 800 has a much smaller mini tower case, it lacks the StorageWorks SCSI hot-plug chassis. The main difference between AS1000 and AS1000A is that AS1000A has 7 PCI slots whereas AS1000 only has 3 PCI slots and has EISA slots instead.

AS800 with an EV5/400 MHz CPU was later re-branded to become a ``DIGITAL Server 3300[R]'', AS800 with an EV5/500 MHz CPU was later re-branded to become a ``DIGITAL Server 3305[R]''.

Features:

• 21064 EV4[5] CPU at 200, 233 or 266 MHz 21164 EV5[6] CPU at 300, 333 or 400 MHz (or 500 MHz for AS800 only)

• memory:

  • buswidth: 128 bit with ECC

  • AS1000[A]:

    • 72pin 36 bit Fast Page Mode SIMMs, 70ns or better

    • 16 (EV5 machines) or 20 (EV4 machines) SIMM slots

    • max memory is 1 GB

    • uses ECC

  • AS800: Uses 60ns 3.3 Volts EDO DIMMs

• embedded VGA (on some mainboard models)

• 3 PCI, 2 EISA, 1 64-bit PCI/EISA combo (AS800)

• 7 PCI, 2 EISA (AS1000A)

• 2 PCI, 1 EISA/PCI, 7 EISA (AS1000)

• embedded SCSI based on Symbios 810 [AS1000] or Qlogic 1020 [AS1000A]

AS1000 based machines come in multiple enclosure types. Floor standing, rack-mount, with or without StorageWorks SCSI chassis etc. The electronics are the same.

AS1000-systems: All EV4 based machines use standard PS/2 style 36 bit 72pin SIMMs in sets of 5. The fifth SIMM is used for ECC. All EV5 based machines use standard PS/2 style 36 bit 72pin SIMMs in sets of 4. The ECC is done based on the 4 extra bits per SIMM (4 bits out of 36). The EV5 mainboards have 16 SIMM slots, the EV4 mainboards have 20 slots.

AS800 machines use DIMMs in sets of 4. DIMM installation must start in slots marked bank 0. A bank is four physically adjacent slots. The biggest size DIMMs must be installed in bank 0 in case 2 banks of different DIMM sizes are used. Max memory size is 2GB. Note that these are EDO DIMMs.

The AS1000/800 are somewhat stubborn when it comes to serial consoles. They need

>>> SET CONSOLE SERIAL

before they go for a serial console. Pulling the keyboard from the machine is not sufficient, like it is on most other Alpha models. Going back to a graphical console needs

>>> SET CONSOLE GRAPHICS

at the serial console.

For AS800 you want to check if your Ultra-Wide SCSI is indeed in Ultra mode. This can be done using the EEROMCFG.EXE utility that is on the Console Firmware Upgrade CDROM.

For the AlphaServer1000/1000A/800 machines the kernel config file must contain:

options    DEC_1000A
cpu EV4     # depends on the CPU model installed
cpu EV5     # depends on the CPU model installed

2.3.10 DS10/VS10/XP900 (``Webbrick'') / XP1000 (``Monet'') / DS10L (``Slate'')

Webbrick and Monet are high performance workstations/servers based on the EV6 CPU and the Tsunami chipset. Tsunami is also used in much higher-end systems and as such has plenty of performance to offer. DS10, VS10 and XP900 are different names for essentially the same system. The differences are the software and options that are supported. DS10L is a DS10 based machine in a 1U high rackmount enclosure. DS10L is intended for ISPs and for HPTC clusters (e.g. Beowulf)

options    DEC_ST6600
cpu EV5

>>> SET USB_ENABLE ON

options    DEC_ST6600
cpu EV5

2.3.11 DS20/DS20E (``Goldrush'')

Features:

• 21264 EV6 CPU at 500 or 670 MHz

• dual CPU capable machine

• L2 / Bcache: 4 Mbytes per CPU

• memory bus: dual 256 bit wide with crossbar switch

• memory:

  • SDRAM DIMMs

  • installed in sets of 4

  • 16 DIMM slots, max. 4GB

  • uses ECC

• 21271 core logic chip set (``Tsunami'')

• embedded Adaptec ? Wide Ultra SCSI

• expansion:

  • 2 independent PCI buses, driven by high-speed I/O channels called ``hoses''

  • 6 64-bit PCI slots, 3 per hose

  • 1 ISA slot

DS20 needs

>>> SET CONSOLE SERIAL

before it goes for a serial console. Pulling the keyboard from the machine is not sufficient. Going back to a graphical console needs

>>> SET CONSOLE GRAPHICS

at the serial console. Confusing is the fact that you will get SRM console output on the graphics console with the console set to serial, but when FreeBSD boots it honors the CONSOLE variable setting and all the boot messages as well as the login prompt will go to the serial port.

The DS20 is housed in a fat cube-like enclosure. The enclosure also contains a StorageWorks SCSI hot-swap shelf for a maximum of seven 3.5" SCSI devices. The DS20E is in a sleeker case, and lacks the StorageWorks shelf.

The system has a smart power controller. This means that parts of the system remain powered when it is switched off (like an ATX-style PC power supply). Before servicing the machine remove the power cord(s).

The smart power controller is called the RMC. When enabled, typing EscapeEscapeRMC on serial port 1 will bring you to the RMC prompt. RMC allows you to powerup or powerdown, reset the machine, monitor and set temperature trip levels etc. RMC has its own builtin help.

The embedded Adaptec SCSI chip on the DS20 is disabled and is therefore not usable under FreeBSD.

Starting with SRM firmware version 5.9 you can boot from Adaptec 2940-series adapters in addition to the usual set of Qlogic and Symbios/NCR adapters. This unfortunately does not include the embedded Adaptec SCSI chips. You can use a KZPEA aka Adaptec 39160 for dual channel LVD U160 SCSI, which is bootable from SRM.

If you are using banks of DIMMs of different sizes the biggest DIMMs should be installed in the DIMM slots marked 0 on the mainboard. The DIMM slots should be filled ``in order'' so after bank 0 install in bank 1 and so on.

Don't try to use Symbios-chip based SCSI adapters in the PCI slots connected to hose 1. There is a not-yet-found FreeBSD bug that prevents this from working correctly. DS20 ships by default with a Symbios on hose 1 so you have to move this card before you can install/boot FreeBSD on it.

The kernel config file must contain:

options    DEC_ST6600
cpu EV5

2.3.12 AlphaPC 264DP / UP2000

UP2000 was built by Alpha Processor Inc.

Features:

• 21264 EV6 CPU at 670 or 750 MHz

• dual CPU capable

• L2 / Bcache: 4 Mbytes per CPU

• memory bus: 256 bit

• memory: SDRAM DIMMs installed in sets of 4, uses ECC, 16 DIMM slots, max. 4GB

• 21272 core logic chip set (``Tsunami'')

• 2 embedded Adaptec AIC7890/91 Wide Ultra2 SCSI chips

• 2 embedded IDE based on Cypress 82C693 chips

• embedded USB via Cypress 82C693

• expansion:

  • 2 independent PCI buses, driven by high-speed I/O channels called ``hoses''

  • 6 64-bit PCI slots, 3 per hose

  • 1 ISA slot

Currently a maximum of 2GB memory is supported by FreeBSD.

The on-board Adaptec SCSI HBAs are bootable on UP2000.

Busmaster DMA is supported on the first IDE interface only. The system can boot from it's IDE hard drives and cdrom drives.

The kernel config file must contain:

options    DEC_ST6600
cpu EV5

2.3.13 AlphaServer 2000 (``DemiSable''), 2100 (``Sable''), 2100A (``Lynx'')

The AlphaServer 2[01]00 machines are intended as departmental servers. This is medium iron. They are multi-CPU machines, up to 2 CPUs (AS2000) or 4 CPUs (2100[A]) can be installed. Both floor-standing and 19" rackmount boxes exist. Rackmount variations have different numbers of I/O expansion slots, different max number of CPUs and different maximum memory size. Some of the boxes come with an integral StorageWorks shelf to house hot-swap SCSI disks. There was an upgrade program available to convert your Sable machine into a Lynx by swapping the I/O backplane (the C-bus backplane remains). CPU upgrades were available as well.

• 21064 EV4[5] CPU[s] at 200, 233, 275 MHz or 21164 EV5[6] CPU[s]s at 250, 300, 375, 400 MHz

• cache: varies in size with the CPU model; 1, 4 or 8Mbyte per CPU

• embedded floppy controller driving a 2.88 Mbytes drive

• embedded 10Mbit 21040 Ethernet [AS2100 only]

• 2 serial ports

• 1 parallel port

• PS/2 style keyboard & mouse port

The CPUs spec-ed as 200 MHz are in reality running at 190 MHz. Maximum number of CPUs is 4. All CPUs must be of the same type/speed.

If any of the processors are ever marked as failed, they will remain marked as failed even after they have been replaced (or reseated) until you issue the command

>>> CLEAR_ERROR ALL

on the SRM console and power-cycle the machine. This may be true for other modules (IO and memory) as well, but it has not been verified.

The machines use dedicated memory boards. These boards live on a 128 bit C-bus shared with the CPU boards. DemiSable supports up to 1GB, Sable up to 2GB. One of the memory bus slots can either hold a CPU or a memory card. A 4 CPU machine can have a maximum of 2 memory boards.

Some memory board models house SIMMs. These are called SIMM carriers. There are also memory modules that have soldered-on memory chips instead of SIMMs. These are called ``flat memory modules''.

SIMM boards are used in sets of eight 72-pin 36 bit FPM memory of 70ns or faster. SIMM types supported are 1M x36 bit (4 Mbyte), 2M x36bit (8 Mbyte) and 4M x36 bit (16 Mbyte). Each memory board can house 4 banks of SIMMs. SIMM sizes can not be mixed on a single memory board. The first memory module must be filled with SIMMs before starting to fill the next memory module. Note that the spacing between the slots is not that big, so make sure your SIMMs fit physically (before buying them..)

Both Lynx and Sable are somewhat stubborn when it comes to serial consoles. They need

>>> SET CONSOLE SERIAL

before they go for a serial console. Pulling the keyboard from the machine is not sufficient, like it is on many other Alpha models. Going back to a graphical console needs

>>> SET CONSOLE GRAPHICS

at the serial console. On Lynx keep the VGA card in one of the primary PCI slots. EISA VGA cards are not slot sensitive.

The machines are equipped with a small OCP (Operator Control Panel) LCD screen. On this screen the self-test messages are displayed during system initialization. You can put your own little text there by using the SRM:

>>> SET OCP_TEXT "FreeBSD"
     

The SRM

>>> SHOW FRU

command produces an overview of your configuration with module serial numbers, hardware revisions and error log counts.

Both Sable, DemiSable and Lynx have Symbios 810 based Fast SCSI on-board. Check if it is set to Fast SCSI speed by

>>> SHOW PKA0_FAST

When set to 1 it is negotiating for Fast speeds.

>>> SET PKA0_FAST 1

enables Fast SCSI speeds.

AS2100[A] come equipped with a StorageWorks 7 slot SCSI cage. A second cage can be added inside the cabinet. AS2000 has a single 7 slot SCSI cage, which cannot be expanded with an additional one. Note that the slot locations in these cages map differently to SCSI IDs compared to the standard StorageWorks shelves. Slot IDs from top to bottom are 0, 4, 1, 5, 2, 6, 3 when using a single bus configuration.

The cage can also be set to provide two independent SCSI buses. This is used for embedded RAID controllers like the KZPSC (Mylex DAC960). Slot ID assignments for split bus are, from top to bottom: 0A, 0B, 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B. Where A and B signify a SCSI bus. In a single bus configuration the terminator module on the back of the SCSI cage is on the TOP. The jumper module is on the BOTTOM. For split bus operation these two modules are reversed. The terminator can be distinguished from the jumper by noting the chips on the terminator. The jumper does not have any active components on it.

DemiSable has 7 EISA slots and 3 PCI slots. Sable has 8 EISA and 3 PCI slots. Lynx, being newer, has 8 PCI and 3 EISA slots. The Lynx PCI slots are grouped in sets of 4. The 4 PCI slots closest to the CPU/memory slots are the primary slots, so logically before the PCI bridge chip. Note that contrary to expectation the primary PCI slots are the highest numbered ones (PCI4 - PCI7).

Make sure you run the EISA Configuration Utility (from floppy) when adding/change expansion cards in EISA slots or after upgrading your console firmware. This is done by inserting the ECU floppy and typing

>>> RUNECU

A special Extended I/O module for use on the C-bus was planned-for. If they ever saw daylight is unknown. In any case FreeBSD has never been verified with an ExtIO module.

The machines can be equipped with redundant power supplies. Note that the enclosure is equipped with interlock switches that switch off power when the enclosure is opened. The system's cooling fans are speed controlled. When the machine has more than 2 CPUs and more than 1 memory board dual power supplies are mandatory.

The kernel config file must contain:

options    DEC_2100_A500
cpu EV4 #dependent on CPU model installed
cpu EV5 #dependent on CPU model installed

2.3.14 AlphaServer 4x00 (``Rawhide'')

The AlphaServer 4x00 machines are intended as small enterprise servers. Expect a 30" high pedestal cabinet or alternatively the same system box in a 19" rack. Rawhides are multi-CPU machines, up to 4 CPUs can be in a single machine. Basic disk storage is housed in one or two StorageWorks shelves at the bottom of the pedestal. The Rawhides intended for the NT market are designated DIGITAL Server 7300 (5/400 CPU), DIGITAL Server 7305 (5/533 CPU). A trailing R on the part-number means a rackmount variant.

Features:

• 21164 EV5 CPUs at 266, 300, 333 MHz or 21164A EV56 CPUs at 400, 466, 533, 600 Mhz

• cache: 4 Mbytes per CPU. EV5 300 MHz was also available cache-less. 8 Mbytes for EV56 600Mhz

• memory bus: 128 bit with ECC

• embedded floppy controller

• 2 serial ports

• 1 parallel port

• PS/2 style keyboard & mouse port

Rawhide can be equipped with a variety of CPU modules. CPU modules exist in versions with and without external cache. In all cases the CPU modules installed always must be of the same speed. A mix of NT-only and full-blown Tru64/VMS CPUs works fine. It will however result in the system reporting itself to the operating system as a Digital Server 730x (so the NT-only variant). FreeBSD does not care, but such a system will not allow Tru64 or VMS to run.

Rawhide uses a maximum of 8 RAM modules. These modules are used in pairs and supply 72 bits to the bus (this includes ECC bits). Memory can be EDO RAM or synchronous DRAM. A fully populated AS4100 has 4 pairs of memory modules. The AS4000 model is limited to 2 pairs of memory modules. Given the choice use SDRAM for best performance. The highest capacity memory boards must be in the memory slots marked MEM0L and MEM0H. A mix of memory board sizes is allowed. A mix of EDO and SDRAM works as well (assuming you don't try to mix EDO and SDRAM in a single module pair). A mix of EDO and SDRAM results in the entire memory subsystem running at the slower EDO timing.

Rawhide has an embedded Symbios 810 chip that gives you a narrow fast-SCSI bus. Generally only the SCSI CDROM is driven by this interface.

Rawhides are available with a 8 64-bit PCI / 3 EISA slot expansion backplanes (called ``Saddle'' modules). There are 2 separate PCI buses, PCI0 and PCI1. PCI0 has 1 dedicated PCI slot and (shared) 3 PCI/EISA slots. PCI0 also has a PCI/EISA bridge that drives things like the serial and parallel ports, keyboard/mouse etc. PCI1 has 4 PCI slots and an Symbios 810 SCSI chip. VGA console cards must be installed in a slot connected to PCI0.

The current FreeBSD implementation has problems in handling PCI bridges. There is currently a limited fix in place which allows for single level, single device PCI bridges. The fix allows the use of the Digital supplied Qlogic SCSI card which sits behind a 21054 PCI bridge chip.

Rawhide employs an I2C based power controller system. If you want to be sure all power is removed from the system remove all mains cables from the system.

Rawhide comes with RCM functionality, which means you can power it on/off remotely, reset it etc. See also the description for the RMC in the DS10 section of this document. RCM versus RMC is not a typo, the various documentation I consulted used both acronyms interchangably. Note that if you want remote power on/off to function you need to connect a small DC adapter to the machine in order to have the RCM logic powered. You need to supply 9-12V DC to the small inlet located next to the keyboard connector.

The kernel config file must contain:

options    DEC_KN300
cpu EV5

2.3.15 AlphaServer 1200 (``Tincup'') and AlphaStation 1200 (``DaVinci'')

The AlphaServer 1200 machine is the successor to the AlphaServer 1000A. It uses the same enclosure the 1000A uses, but the logic is based on the AlphaServer 4000 design. These are multi-CPU machines, up to 2 CPUs can be in a single machine. Basic disk storage is housed in a StorageWorks shelves The AS1200 intended for the NT market were designated DIGITAL Server 5300 (5/400 CPU) and DIGITAL Server 5305 (5/533 CPU).

Features:

• 21164A EV56 CPUs at 400 or 533 Mhz

• cache: 4 Mbytes per CPU

• memory bus: 128 bit with ECC, DIMM memory on two memory daughter boards

• embedded floppy controller

• 2 serial ports

• 1 parallel port

• PS/2 style keyboard & mouse port

AS1200 uses 2 memory daughter cards. On each of these cards are 8 DIMM slots. DIMMs must be installed in pairs. The maximum memory size is 4 GBytes. Slots must be filled in order and slot 0 must contain the largest size DIMM if different sized DIMMs are used. AS1200 employs fixed starting addresses for DIMMs, each DIMM pair starts at a 512 Mbyte boundary. This means that if DIMMs smaller than 256 Mbyte are used the system's physical memory map will contain ``holes''. Supported DIMM sizes are 64 Mbytes and 256 Mbytes. The DIMMs are 72 bit SDRAM based, as the system employs ECC.

AS1200 has an embedded Symbios 810 drive Fast SCSI bus.

Tincup has 5 64-bit PCI slots, one 1 32-bit PCI slot and one EISA slot (which is physically shared with one of the 64-bit PCI slots). There are 2 separate PCI buses, PCI0 and PCI1. PCI0 has the 32-bit PCI slot and the 2 top-most 64-bit PCI slots. PCI0 also has an Intel 82375EB PCI/EISA bridge that drives things like the serial and parallel ports, keyboard/mouse etc. PCI1 has 4 64-bit PCI slots and an Symbios 810 SCSI chip. VGA console cards must be installed in a slot connected to PCI0.

The system employs an I2C based power controller system. If you want to be sure all power is removed from the system remove the mains cables from the system. Tincup uses dual power supplies in load-sharing mode and not as a redundancy pair.

The kernel config file must contain:

options    DEC_KN300
cpu EV5

2.3.16 AlphaServer 8200 and 8400 (``TurboLaser'')

The AlphaServer 8200 and 8400 machines are enterprise servers. Expect a tall 19" cabinet (8200) or fat (8400) 19" rack. This is big iron, not a hobbyist system. TurboLasers are multi-CPU machines, up to 12 CPUs can be in a single machine. The TurboLaser System Bus (TLSB) allows 9 nodes on the AS8400 and 5 nodes on the AS8200. TLSB is 256 bit data, 40 bit address allowing 2.1 GBytes/sec. Nodes on the TLSB can be CPUs, memory or I/O. A maximum of 3 I/O ports are supported on a TLSB.

Basic disk storage is housed in a StorageWorks shelf. AS8400 uses 3 phase power, AS8200 uses single phase power.

Features:

• 21164 EV5/EV56 CPUs at up to 467 MHz or 21264 EV67 CPUs at up to 625 MHz

• one or two CPUs per CPU module

• cache: 4Mbytes B-cache per CPU

• memory bus: 256 bit with ECC

• memory: big memory modules that plug into the TLSB, which in turn hold special SIMM modules. Memory modules come in varying sizes, up to 4 GBytes a piece. Uses ECC (8 bits per 64 bits of data) 7 memory modules max for AS8400, 3 modules max for AS8200. Maximum memory is 28 GBytes.

• expansion: 3 system ``I/O ports'' that allow up to 12 I/O channels each I/O channel can connect to XMI, Futurebus+ or PCI boxes

FreeBSD supports (and has been tested with) up to 2 GBytes of memory on TurboLaser. There is a trade-off to be made between TLSB slots occupied by memory modules and TLSB slots occupied by CPU modules. For example you can have 28GBytes of memory but only 2 CPUs (1 module) at the same time.

Only PCI expansion is supported on FreeBSD. XMI or Futurebus+ (which are AS8400 only) are both unsupported.

The I/O port modules are designated KFTIA or KFTHA. The I/O port modules supply so called ``hoses'' that connect to up to 4 (KFTHA) PCI buses or 1 PCI bus (KFTIA). KFTIA has embedded dual 10baseT Ethernet, single FDDI, 3 SCSI Fast Wide Differential SCSI buses and a single Fast Wide Single Ended SCSI bus. The FWSE SCSI is intended for the CDROM.

KFTHA can drive via each of its 4 hoses a DWLPA or DWLPB box. The DWLPx house a 12 slots 32 bit PCI backplane. Physically the 12 slots are 3 4-slot buses but to the software it appears as a single 12 slots PCI bus. A fully expanded AS8x00 can have 3 (I/O ports) times 4 (hoses) times 12 (PCI slots/DWLPx) = 144 PCI slots. The maximum bandwidth per KFTHA is 500 Mbytes/second. DWLPA can also house 8 EISA cards, 2 slots are PCI-only, 2 slots are EISA only. Of the 12 slots 2 are always occupied by an I/O and connector module. DWLPB are the prefered I/O boxes.

For best performance distribute high bandwidth (FibreChannel, Gigabit Ethernet) over multiple hoses and/or multiple KFTHA/KFTIA.

Currently PCI expansion cards containing PCI bridges are not usable with FreeBSD. Don't use them at this time.

The single ended narrow SCSI bus on the KFTIA will turn up as the fourth SCSI bus. The 3 fast-wide differential SCSI buses of the KFTIA precede it.

AS8x00 are generally run with serial consoles. Some newer machines might have a graphical console of some sorts but FreeBSD has only been tested on a serial console.

For serial console usage either change /etc/ttys to have:

console "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600"   unknown   on secure

as the console entry, or add

zs0     "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600"   unknown   on secure

For the AlphaServer 8x00 machines the kernel config file must contain:

options    DEC_KN8AE   # Alpha 8200/8400 (Turbolaser)
cpu EV5

Contrary to expectation there is no cpu EV6 defined for inclusion in the kernel config file. The cpu EV5 is mandatory to keep config(8) happy.

2.3.17 Alpha Processor Inc. UP1000

The UP1000 is an ATX mainboard based on the 21264a CPU which itself lives in a Slot B module. It is normally housed in an ATX tower enclosure.

Features:

• 21264a Alpha CPU at 600 or 700 MHz in a Slot B module (includes cooling fans)

• memory bus: 128 bits to the L2 cache, 64 bits from Slot B to the AMD-751

• on-board Bcache / L2 cache: 2MB (600Mhz) or 4MB (700Mhz)

• AMD AMD-751 (``Irongate'') system controller chip

• Acer Labs M1543C PCI-ISA bridge controller / super-IO chip

• PS/2 mouse & keyboard port

• memory: 168-pin PC100 unbuffered SDRAM DIMMS, 3 DIMM slots DIMM sizes supported are 64, 128 or 256 Mb in size

• 2 16550A serial port

• 1 ECP/EPP parallel port

• floppy interface

• 2 embedded Ultra DMA33 IDE interface

• 2 USB ports

• expansion:

  • 4 32 bit PCI slots

  • 2 ISA slots

  • 1 AGP slot

Slot B is a box-like enclosure that houses a daughter-board for the CPU and cache. It has 2 small fans for cooling. Loud fans..

The machine needs ECC capable DIMMs, so 72 bit ones. This does not appear to be documented in the UP1000 docs. The system accesses the serial EEPROM on the DIMMs via the SM bus. Note that if only a single DIMM is used it must be installed in slot 2. This is a bit counter-intuitive.

The UP1000 needs a 400Watt ATX power supply according to the manufacturer. This might be a bit overly conservative/pessimistic judging from the power consumption of the board & cpu. But as always you will have to take your expansion cards and peripherals into account. The M1543C chip contains power management functionality & temperature monitoring (via I2C / SM bus).

Chances are that your UP1000 comes by default with AlphaBios only. The SRM console firmware is available from the Alpha Processor Inc. web site. It is currently available in a beta version which was successfully used during the port of FreeBSD to the UP1000.

The embedded Ultra DMA EIDE ports are bootable by the SRM console.

UP1000 SRM can boot off an Adaptec 294x adapter. Under high I/O load conditions machine lockups have been observed using the Adaptec 294x. A Symbios 875 based card works just fine, using the sym driver. Most likely other cards based on the Symbios chips that the sym driver supports will work as well.

The USB interfaces are disabled by the SRM console and have not (yet) been tested with FreeBSD.

For the UP1000 the kernel config file must contain:

options    API_UP1000  # UP1000, UP1100 (Nautilus)
cpu EV5

2.3.18 Alpha Processor Inc. UP1100

The UP1100 is an ATX mainboard based on the 21264a CPU running at 600 MHz. It is normally housed in an ATX tower enclosure.

Features:

• 21264a Alpha EV6 CPU at 600 or 700 MHz

• memory bus: 100MHz 64-bit (PC-100 SDRAM), 800 MB/s memory bandwidth

• on-board Bcache / L2 cache: 2Mb

• AMD AMD-751 (``Irongate'') system controller chip

• Acer Labs M1535D PCI-ISA bridge controller / super-IO chip

• PS/2 mouse & keyboard port

• memory: 168-pin PC100 unbuffered SDRAM DIMMS, 3 DIMM slots DIMM sizes supported are 64, 128 or 256 Mb in size

• 2 16550A serial port

• 1 ECP/EPP parallel port

• floppy interface

• 2 embedded Ultra DMA66 IDE interface

• 2 USB port

• expansion: 3 32 bit PCI slots and 1 AGP2x slot

SRM console code comes standard with the UP1100. The SRM lives in 2Mbytes of flash ROM.

The machine needs ECC capable DIMMs, so 72 bit ones. This does not appear to be documented in the UP1100 docs. The system accesses the serial EEPROM on the DIMMs via the SM bus. Note that if only a single DIMM is used it must be installed in slot 2. This is a bit counter-intuitive.

The UP1100 needs a 400Watt ATX power supply according to the manufacturer. This might be a bit overly conservative/pessimistic judging from the power consumption of the board & cpu. But as always you will have to take your expansion cards and peripherals into account. The M1535D chip contains power management functionality & temperature monitoring (via I2C / SM bus using a LM75 thermal sensor).

The UP1100 has an on-board 21143 10/100Mbit Ethernet interface.

The UP1100 is equipped with a SoundBlaster compatible audio interface. Whether it works with FreeBSD is as of yet unknown.

The embedded Ultra DMA EIDE ports are bootable by the SRM console.

The UP1100 has 3 USB ports, 2 going external and one connected to the AGP port.

For the UP1100 the kernel config file must contain:

options    API_UP1000  # UP1000, UP1100 (Nautilus)
cpu EV5

Contrary to expectation there is no cpu EV6 defined for inclusion in the kernel config file. The cpu EV5 is mandatory to keep config(8) happy.

2.3.19 Alpha Processor Inc. CS20, Compaq DS20L

The CS20 is a 19", 1U high rackmount server based on the 21264[ab] CPU. It can have a maximum of 2 CPUs. Compaq sells the CS20 rebranded as the AlphaServer DS20L. DS20L has 833MHz CPUs.

Features:

• 21264a Alpha CPU at 667 MHz or 21264b 833 MHz (max. 2 CPUs)

• memory bus: 100MHz 256-bit wide

• 21271 Core Logic chipset (``Tsunami'')

• Acer Labs M1533 PCI-ISA bridge controller / super-IO chip

• PS/2 mouse & keyboard port

• memory: 168-pin PC100 PLL buffered/registered SDRAM DIMMS, 8 DIMM slots, uses ECC memory, min 256 Mbytes / max 2 GBytes of memory

• 2 16550A serial port

• 1 ECP/EPP parallel port

• ALI M1543C Ultra DMA66 IDE interface

• embedded dual Intel 82559 10/100Mbit Ethernet

• embedded Symbios 53C1000 Ultra160 SCSI controller

• expansion: 2 64 bit PCI slots (2/3 length)

SRM console code comes standard with the CS20. The SRM lives in 2Mbytes of flash ROM.

The CS20 needs ECC capable DIMMs. Note that it uses buffered DIMMs.

The CS20 has an I2C based internal monitoring system for things like temperature, fans, voltages etc. The I2C also supports ``wake on LAN''.

Each PCI slot is connected to its own independent PCI bus on the Tsunami.

The embedded Ultra DMA EIDE ports are bootable by the SRM console.

The CS20 has an embedded slim-line IDE CD drive. There is a front-accessible bay for a 1" high 3.5" SCSI hard-disk drive with SCA connector.

Note that there is no floppy disk drive (or a connector to add one).

The kernel config file must contain:

options    DEC_ST6600
cpu EV5

Contrary to expectation there is no cpu EV6 defined for inclusion in the kernel config file. The cpu EV5 is mandatory to keep config(8) happy.

2.3.20 Compaq AlphaServer ES40 (``Clipper'')

The ES40 is a SMP system that can have 1 - 4 21264 Alpha CPUs. With the maximum configuration of 32GB of memory these systems are often deployed as heavy database servers and are also found in HPTC compute farm environments.

Features:

• 21264 Alpha CPU at 500 (EV6), 667 (EV67) or 833 MHz (EV68) (max. 4 CPUs)

• memory bus: 256-bit wide

• 21272 Core Logic chipset

• PS/2 mouse & keyboard port

• memory: 200-pin JEDEC standard SDRAM DIMMS, max 32 GBytes of memory

• 2 16550A serial port

• 1 ECP/EPP parallel port

• ALI M1543C Ultra DMA66 IDE interface

• expansion: 2 64 bit PCI buses

SRM console code comes standard with the ES40.

ES40 comes with an ATA CDROM drive, but uses SCSI harddisks. The usual Symbios & Qlogic adapters are bootable, as is the KZPEA aka Adaptec 39160 dual channel LVD U160 adapter.

Memory is divided in 4 memory arrays which each contain a set of 4 SDRAM DIMMs. Each DIMM is 72 bit wide and of the 100MHz speed variant. An array can contain 2 sets, so 8 DIMMs max per array. The DIMMs live on Memory Mother Boards (MMBs). There are 2 MMB models, with 4 and 8 DIMM sockets respectively. Each MMB provides half of the 256 bit memory bus width to the CPUs. Given the myriad options for the memory configuration it is advisable to check the system documentation for the optimum memory configuration.

Dependent on the model variation the ES40 has 6 or 10 64 bit PCI slots. This is basically just means the same backplane with less connectors mounted.

ES40 has the same RMC remote power control as DS10 and DS20. See the description of the RMC in the DS10 section of this document. Most variations of ES40 have multiple power supplies, allowing for N+1 redundancy. When installing CPU cards you must unplug all power cords, the CPU cards receive standby power from the power supplies. Maximum memory configurations need more than the default number of powersupplies.

The kernel config file must contain:

options   DEC_ST6600
cpu     EV5

Contrary to expectation there is no cpu EV6 defined for inclusion in the kernel config file. The cpu EV5 is mandatory to keep config(8) happy.